Letter: Some legislators tried to protect Mass. from Obamacare

Tuesday

Jun 24, 2014 at 4:40 PM

I write to thank several state representatives for their votes just over one year ago against implementing Obamacare in Massachusetts. With their votes, they opted to preserve the previous system and reject an ideologically driven quest by Beacon Hill leadership to force everyone in Massachusetts into the poorly designed system established by the Affordable Care Act.

I write to thank several state representatives for their votes just over one year ago against implementing Obamacare in Massachusetts. With their votes, they opted to preserve the previous system and reject an ideologically driven quest by Beacon Hill leadership to force everyone in Massachusetts into the poorly designed system established by the Affordable Care Act.

That bipartisan group includes 30 current members of the state House from across the commonwealth, including Steve Howitt of Seekonk, Shaunna O’Connell of Taunton and Keiko Orrall of Lakeville. Implementing Obamacare in Massachusetts has created three classes of victims.

Many have lost their coverage entirely, while some must now pay higher deductibles and still others face higher premiums. Taxpayers as a whole have also seen tens of millions of their hard-earned dollars wasted on a broken website designed to replace a functional one.

The commonwealth’s previous health care system, while not perfect, was designed specifically with Massachusetts’ needs in mind. Obamacare, by contrast, took a one-size-fits-all approach to 50 states with 50 very different sets of needs. It was then, and remains now, bad medicine for what ails our state.

Unfortunately for all of us, 75 percent of state representatives supported Obamacare. The passage of time, however, has proven the wisdom shown by the opposition of these legislators.